Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator having a main body cabinet including a cooling compartment, a door opening and closing the main body cabinet, and an ice making device provided within the cooling compartment which makes ice from water supplied from a water supply source with cool air, including: a water supply valve between the water supply source and the ice making device; a water hose connecting the ice making device and the water supply valve and supplying the water to the ice making device; and a water amount controlling device between the water supply hose and the water supply valve, uniformly maintaining the amount of water supplied to the ice making device from the water supply source.

1 . A refrigerator having a main body cabinet including a cooling compartment, a door opening and closing the main body cabinet, and an ice making device provided within the cooling compartment which makes ice from water supplied from a water supply source with cool air, comprising: 
 a water supply valve between the water supply source and the ice making device;    a water hose connecting the ice making device and the water supply valve and supplying the water to the ice making device; and    a water amount controlling device between the water supply hose and the water supply valve, uniformly maintaining the amount of water supplied to the ice making device from the water supply source.    
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the water amount controlling device includes: 
 a water collecting body having an inlet into which the water from the water supply valve flows, an outlet through which water in the water amount controlling device is discharged to the water supply hose and a water collecting part collecting the water flown from the inlet; and    a piston part selectively passing or blocking the water from the inlet by moving reciprocally within the water collecting body according to an opening and a closing of the water supply valve.    
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein the piston part includes: 
 a first piston defining a water path and moving within the water collecting body according to the opening and the closing of the water supply valve; and    a second piston selectively opening or blocking the water path in association with the first piston according to the opening and the closing of the water supply valve.    
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , further comprising a water path blocking part between the first piston and the second piston and blocking the water path when the water supply valve is opened.  
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the first piston includes a supporting part supporting the second piston and formed with a water passing part through which the water from the inlet passes.  
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 4 , wherein the water blocking part includes a projection formed on the second piston, and a projection accommodating part formed on the first piston which accommodates the projection.  
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 6 , wherein the first piston includes an upper plate and a lower plate each formed with an opening, and a side plate connecting the upper plate with the lower plate, and wherein the second piston is accommodated inside the plates.  
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 7 , wherein the projection accommodating part is on a bottom of the upper plate of the first piston and a supporting part is provided on a top of the lower plate.  
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , further comprising a water supply hose provided between the water amount controlling device and the water supply valve.  
   
   
       10 . A refrigerator comprising: 
 an ice maker;    a supply valve; and    a water amount controlling device disposed between the supply valve and the ice maker, including a piston part which moves within the water amount controlling device to compensate for changes in a pressure of water supplied to the water amount controlling device so as to uniformly maintain an amount of water supplied to the ice maker.    
   
   
       11 . A water amount controlling device comprising: 
 a water collecting body having an inlet, and outlet, and a water collection part therebetween; and    a piston part including a first piston reciprocally moving within the water collecting body and a second piston moving within the first piston, the first piston defining a path around the second piston, the second piston selectively opening and closing the path,    wherein, when water flows through the inlet, the second piston engages the first piston to block the path and to push the first piston from a rest position toward the outlet so as to discharge through the outlet water in the water collection part between the first piston and the outlet, and    wherein, when water stops flowing through the inlet and the first piston is not in the rest position, the second piston disengages the first piston to open the path so as to allow water to flow through the path, water flows into the water collection part between the first piston and the outlet, and the first piston returns to the rest position.    
   
   
       12 . The water amount controlling device according to  claim 11 , wherein the first piston includes an upper plate having an opening part and a projection accommodating part around the opening part and extending toward the second piston, 
 wherein the second piston includes a projection extending toward the upper plate and accommodated by the projection accommodating part when the second piston engages the first piston, and    wherein, when the projection accommodating part accommodates the projection, the projection accommodating part and the projection cooperate to block the path.    
   
   
       13 . The water amount collecting device according to  claim 11 , wherein the piston part moves to the rest position due its own weight.  
   
   
       14 . The water amount collecting device according to  claim 11 , wherein the water collection body is cylindrical.  
   
   
       15 . A water amount controlling method, comprising: 
 directing water flowing through an inlet of a water collecting body against a second piston contained in a first piston to press the second piston against a first part of the first piston so as to close a water path defined by the first piston and to push the first piston from a rest position toward an outlet of the water collecting body so as to discharge through the outlet water in the water collecting body between the first piston and the outlet; and    allowing, when water stops flowing into the inlet and the first piston is not in the rest position, the second piston to press against a second part of the first piston to open the path so as to allow water to flow through the path.    
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the second piston presses against the second part to return the first piston to the rest position.